December 8, 1999
FAMILY MATTERS:
Children learn to share by example
___ How can we teach our preschoolers to share?
Kay Towers
Program Coordinator LifeWay Fellowship Killeen
___ A young child's world centers on himself. Children under 3 generally are notcapable of understanding sharing. As they grow and interact with other children, they must be taught what sharing means.
___Sharing involves things as well as time. If a child is eating a cookie or a piece of fruit, it may be easy to divide. But you can't divide a truck or a doll. In that case, what you really want the child to do is to take a turn--to share time with the toy.
___Remember, sharing is a learning process. If a toy is to be shared, use a timer to help the children learn each one gets a turn. As they grow older, if they object to sharing something that can be divided, let one divide and the other have first choice. This usually will ensure even distribution.
___You can teach children they share by doing something together. Doing projects or chores together teaches that sharing in the work can be fun and takes less time to finish. Some Bible phrases from the "Read to Me Bible for Kids" you might use during these times are: "We work together," "We are helpers," "Go and help others," "Love one another."
___Learning to share means thinking of others. Ask your children how they would feel if a playmate hesitated or refused to share. Remind them Jesus wants us to share.
___Observation is a good way to learn. Let them see you sharing. When you observe someone sharing, point it out and use the teachable moment. Discuss ways they have the chance to share. Affirm them when they share.
___Play games where sharing is necessary. In a game, taking turns teaches them to share time.
___Read books where sharing is evident. Tell them stories from the Bible, such as Samuel helping at church, the little boy sharing his lunch, Jesus helping the blind man and Jesus fixing breakfast for his friends.
___Christmas is an excellent time for your family to do a sharing project to reinforce your teachings. Prepare a fruit basket or take a gift to a person who might not otherwise have something this holiday. Share time with a family or single person who is away from home. Let your children select toys or clothes for a needy family.
___Let me affirm you as a parent for desiring to start early in teaching your children to share. Children who learn to share at a young age have a head start on becoming people who care.
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